AI isn’t the story. It’s still leadership.

If you’re anything like the leaders I’ve been talking with, AI feels like one more thing on an already full plate. 

Everyone’s got an opinion - shiny promises on one side, scary warnings on the other - and most are thinking: Great, but how on earth do I lead my people through this?

You might be right into AI, or a late adopter. You may be ‘using it like Google' or have avatars running your day to day life. 

Here’s a confession: I’m not a “tech person.” I’d still rather be out on a river fly fishing than geeking out over a data set. The river wins every time.

But there’s a twist - I love using tech and AI. Not because it’s flashy, but because it helps me clear the noise and get stuff done that usually piles up.

I use AI as a thought partner, but never the decision maker. I have a team of energetic AI interns doing handy things for me, but I am still in full control.

(Though after a recent Belinda-moment map-reading shambles, I’ve decided I really should leave some things to AI…)

What I’m hearing, loud and clear, is this: the challenge isn’t the tools, it’s the people stuff.  

- The trust and motivation gaps. When people don’t trust how AI will affect their role, or can’t see the point, motivation flatlines fast. That’s when you get patchy adoption, hidden resistance, and a whole lot of wasted investment.

- The quiet resistance when people worry AI makes them look less competent . Which is a sad reality... One study found that when people thought work was AI-assisted, they rated it 9% less competent, even though the quality was identical. And that rate slips further for women thought to be using AI. It’s anther one of the hidden cultural drags you're dealing with.

- The 'where to start' paradox, because even if your organisation, leadership, and legal/risk/governance guidelines aren't on the same page, your people are already using AI, and probably so are your competitors. Gets a bit messy...

These are why ROI is stalling, engagement is dipping, and you could have more questions than answers. (I'm here to help - you can always get in touch.)

That’s the gap I’m calling AI-daptive leadership.

Being AI-daptive doesn’t mean knowing how to code or keeping up with the latest tools. It means leading with curiosity, confidence, and care - while the ground under your feet is shifting fast. Nah, forget the ground, we’ve got a whole new landscape.

It looks like:

- Balancing caution and speed

- Making sure people feel valued even as roles and workflows change

- Keeping your organisation moving - not stuck in fear, or lost in shiny distractions

I’m in the thick of this with leaders right now - building and testing AI-daptive workshops that surface the blind spots, rebuild trust, and keep organisations moving instead of stalling. Have to say it's bl**dy marvelous to be geekng out together.

Leadership should still be the best job in the world! Even when the landscape changes.

We got this.